The present disclosure relates generally to systems and methods for improving audio output. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to systems and methods for testing an individual's hearing and then correcting an audio signal to compensate for that user's unique auditory signature.
The goal of perfect audio reproduction is to record and playback the source material as faithfully to the original as is possible. A perfect audio reproduction would represent the entire spectrum of audible frequencies at the exact same reference volume level. Audio engineers create master recordings that match reference standards so that all audio frequencies at the same signal level represented on a properly mastered recording match that same standard signal level. This is known as a “flat” or “level” reproduction. To record, reproduce, deliver and playback sound, many steps, many devices, and many conversions, are involved. Each of these steps introduces errors biasing the audible spectrum away from perfectly level.
However, while various conventional methods and devices attempt to correct for and restore the audio signal to the reference standard (“equalize” the signal) at different points in the reproduction chain, such methods fail to account for the listener's own ears. As there is significant variance in each individual listener's sensitivity to the various frequencies of the audible spectrum, and this variance increases as the individual listener's hearing is damaged through exposure and age, any method of equalization that does not account for the listener's ears is inadequate for producing an audio signal that matches the reference signal heard by the recording engineer.